Worlds Collide and Hearts Get Broken
by Vita Fidens
Summary: Sequel to "Don't Want to Let You Down, but I am Hell-Bound." A startling revelation shatters the uneasy romance of Dean Ambrose and Liz Moore. Faced with this devastation, what will they do? Rated M: Violence
1. Chapter 1

I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

I glanced back and forth between her and Dean, trying to figure out if this was some ill-conceived, elaborate joke.

The way Dean's face turned gray, I could tell that it wasn't.

"I didn't need your help for this," he growled in her direction. Becky ignored him and stepped towards me.

"So now that you know, you can get your home-wrecking little ass _away_ from my man. You've been fucking up our relationship for too long now, because he wasn't ready to grow up and commit to a real woman. You're just a skank who took advantage of that situation."

I tilted my head, confused at her assessment of her relationship. "Are you sure you know what you're talking about?" I asked, trying to stay as calm as I possibly could. I told myself that I wasn't going to beat the ass of a pregnant woman, although I'd be lying if I didn't say the idea was rattling around in the back of my mind.

"Do _I_ know what I'm talking about?" She raged, stepping even closer to me and pushing her finger into my chest. "Do you know who the_ fuck_ you're talking to? I've been with Dean for almost three years. Three years! You've just been fucking him for the past year whenever it was convenient for you." She poked me hard in the chest. "Don't imply that I don't know what the fuck is going on here."

"Don't touch me again," I spat, "or I will break your fucking hand. You don't need that to push a kid out of your vagina."

She looked a bit taken aback, and stepped away from me. I turned to look at Dean. "You have some explanations to give," I said, hearing the pitch of my voice get higher as I spoke.

"I just explained everything to you," she snapped, apparently feeling brave again. "He's mine, and you need to go away." She waved her hand at me dismissively. "He's already asked me to marry him. You were just a fun distraction; I'm the real deal."

The look he gave her was full of pure venom. "Not the time," he muttered, his face turning even more ashen.

I didn't know how I felt. I was obviously shocked and incredibly angry at having been lied to by a man who supposedly loved me. Supposedly loved…a man I loved. Goddamn. The hurt welled up in my chest immediately, and it knocked the breath out of my lungs. I wasn't going to let either of these scumbags see that, though. I was better than this whole situation.

"You two obviously have a lot to discuss," I said coolly. "I'll get out of your way. Congratulations on the baby and the engagement. You're both going to need all the luck you can get." I walked away as quickly as my legs could carry me.

"Lizzy, wait," Dean said from behind me. I could hear his feet falling rapidly on the floor as he tried to catch up.

I turned around and he stopped short, looking stricken. "Don't come near me, Dean. Don't you dare. If you do, I just might kill you."

His face fell and he look stunned, but I found that I simply did not care. Before he could see me start crying, I turned around and nearly ran out of the building.


	2. Chapter 2

'Where are you and why is Goth Queen here?'

'I'm in my car. Ask Dean about all that.' I responded to Paul's text.

I actually wasn't crying. I was shocked by that. Instead, being mad as hell had overtaken all other emotions.

He'd been playing one or both of us for the past few years. I wasn't sure which one it was. In my heart, I wanted to believe that he'd been genuine with me – but I was sure that bitch thought the same thing.

Pregnant. Engaged? I couldn't wrap my head around it.

And yet, it seemed to be the truth. At least gauging Dean's reaction to Becky telling me all of this nonsense.

What a coward. He couldn't grow a set and say it himself; he'd put me in that situation with that stupid cow and let _her_ tell me. He'd let _her _break my heart for him.

Breathe. I needed to calm down and think rationally. What were my next steps?

First – I needed to get through this fucking nightmare of a night and put on a quality show. Second – I needed my stuff from our hotel. I'd have to try and beat him back to the room. Third – I needed to find a clinic in the next stop and get the full battery of STD tests. He'd knocked her up. While it might have been a condom failure that led to the conception of the spawn of Satan, I wasn't exactly counting on it.

There was a knock on my window, startling me. I turned my head expecting to see Dean. I probably would have tried to run him over.

Instead, it was Paul. I rolled the window down.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm all right," I replied, amazed to find that it was the truth. "I'm just a little pissed. I'll need a few minutes."

"Liz," he said, sounding sad and amazed at the same time, "Get the hell out of here. I'm not making you stay and work with that idiot tonight. Hit the road and get checked into the hotel early. Get stuff ready at the next arena. I'll manage without you for the night."

"I can handle it, Paul."

"I know you can. But I wouldn't ask you to do that. Give yourself some time to calm down. Give my locker room some time to calm down. After finding out what's going on, if Seth and Roman even see a hint that you're upset they're going to unleash hell on Dean."

"He deserves that." I couldn't help myself.

"He probably does," Paul agreed. "Doesn't mean I want it to happen on my watch. Go."

I elected to actually listen to him.

I sped back to the hotel and collected my things, leaving my key on the desk. I was tempted to leave a nasty note on the hotel-provided stationary, but I talked myself out of it thanks to the issue of time. I didn't want to be here when he and she-bitch came back.

I was halfway to our next town, my mind completely blank, when my phone started ringing. Seth. If I didn't answer, he'd be worried. Then again, he'd probably still be worried even if I did answer.

"Hey," I said, picking up just before it went to voicemail. My internal debate had almost taken too long to resolve.

"Are you all right? Paul told us," he said without any preamble.

"I'm fine. Honestly."

"Where are you?"

"Paul sent me ahead to the next stop. He wanted to avoid a situation tonight."

"Would you like there to be a situation tonight?" I could hear the threat in his voice. "We're both more than happy to take care of that for you."

"Guys, really. It's ok. I'm angry as fuck, but I'll get over it. I'm just glad it happened now instead of even further down the road." I swallowed hard at those words, thinking about how much worse it could have been. "I'm going to go get checked into the hotel and just spend a night decompressing. I'll be fine by the morning, and I'll see you guys tomorrow night."

"We're going to get you shitfaced."

"Yeah, because that's usually worked out so well for all of us," I teased. "Just promise me we'll hang out and be low-key; that's all I need."

"We'll do whatever you want, Lizzy."

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. "Seth…thanks for not rubbing it in my face that you were right."

"I wish I hadn't been, kid. I wish I hadn't been."


	3. Chapter 3

I had just settled in to my hotel room when my phone began to ring.

Dean. Was he fucking stupid?

I shook my head and let the call go to voicemail.

He was nothing if not persistent, calling back immediately and beginning to text when it became apparent that I wouldn't pick up. The texts were a mixture of 'please' and 'I'm sorry.' Like that was going to make this situation any better.

'I know you're upset and I am so sorry,' I received after a long pause in phone calls and texts. 'It was a stupid mistake, a one-time thing.'

I rolled my eyes. Sure it was.

'I can't do to this kid what my dad did to me. I need to be there. Please understand.'

That's when I lost it. With shaking hands, I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Hello?" He answered, his voice sounding hollow.

"You don't need to _marry _that bitch to be there for your kid," I snapped. "Let's get that straight first." Then the tirade began.

I barely remember what I said. Dean, to his credit, didn't even try to interrupt me. He just sat there – or stood there, who knew – and took it while I yelled myself hoarse, finally starting to cry for the first time this hellacious night.

"Lizzy –" He finally said when I had stopped for a moment.

"No," I said, shaking my head. The words rattled through my chattering teeth. "I don't care what you have to say. You already made your stance abundantly clear. You're a liar and a coward and I wish I had never met you."

"Please don't say that."

"Maybe now I'll have a chance to finally be happy," I snarled, feeling bitter anger overtake every aching, broken part of me. "Maybe now I can have a normal fucking life without you there to fuck everything up for me over and over again."

"You love me," he tried to remind me, his voice gentle.

"_Loved_," I corrected. "Don't think for a minute that I have any positive emotions left in my heart for you, you stupid bastard. I've never wanted you to rot more than I do right now, and I hate you. Do you hear me? _I hate you and I wish you were dead._"

I couldn't do this any longer. I hung up on him and collapsed onto the bed in a weepy, exhausted mess.

My phone began ringing again immediately, and in a blind rage I threw it against the wall with an anguished yell.

It simply bounced off the wall and kept ringing, and while a detached part of me was impressed by the construction the other part of me was just pissed off. I walked over and slammed my foot onto it repeatedly, continuing long after it had fallen silent.

Then, breathless, I walked back to the bed and sat down. After a few minutes, my tears slowed considerably.

"Well," I muttered, glancing at my phone, "that was fucking stupid of me."

Really, that could sum up my whole night. I started to chuckle. At least I could still laugh at myself.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against my hands. What a fine mess I'd gotten myself into, as always. I never should have bothered with Dean. I should have just refused him for a little bit longer, and then I wouldn't have been in this mess.

Then again, if I'd given in earlier…maybe he wouldn't have knocked Becky up in the first place.

There was no room to wonder here. There was only room for me to feel this pain and then flush it out. Wondering wouldn't do me any good; what was done was done.

And, boy was it _ever_ done.


	4. Chapter 4

Unsurprisingly, I slept like absolute shit.

I woke up early and showered, noting the burst blood vessels around my eyes and the failure of my meager make-up supplies to cover those small, purple dots. I hadn't cried that hard in a long time, but I had to admit that I felt better for it.

My head was clear this morning. My heart was heavy and my soul felt like it had been ripped to shreds, but I was at least approaching the situation with mental clarity.

The worst part wasn't that he'd knocked up that gutter trash. The worst part was that he'd lied to me about it. I couldn't be angry with him for having a sex life before we'd gotten together, but I could be angry with him for lying to me about the consequences of said sex life. I could be angry with him for lying and putting my health in jeopardy.

That reminded me. I reached for my phone to look up local clinics and – oh. I'd forgotten. I searched the room instead for the local yellow pages and found the address for one of the stores of my wireless carrier. I wrote the address down on pen and paper – how quaint – and made my way to the car to begin my long day of rebuilding my life.

It started with a new phone. I told the service rep that I'd lost it – it just seemed easier and slightly less terrifying than the truth. They turned my old one off in case it had been stolen and transferred service over to my new one. Fifteen voicemails and thirty-three text messages came through when they turned it on.

"Popular lady," the tech said, smiling at me.

I laughed, but it sounded hollow. "Something like that."

She handed me my phone and sent me on my way. I had breakfast by myself, my phone buzzing continually in my pocket. I didn't bother listening to his voicemails or reading his texts – I just kept deleting them as they came up. If my phone number hadn't been attached to absolutely everything in my life, I would have just gotten a new one.

Finally, a text from Ro came through. I almost deleted it until I realized it wasn't Dean for a change.

'Baby gurl,' it said – God, I hated how he spelled things sometimes – 'we are in your hood.'

'Not my hood,' I typed back with a grin. 'But glad you are here.'

'Where you at?'

I gave him the name of the diner and the vague direction it was in. In fifteen minutes, I was joined by two people I had never in my life been happier to see.

Ro sat down and immediately scavenged a piece of pancake off of my plate. I whapped his hand good-naturedly, and before long we were chatting and enjoying ourselves like we always did.

They both looked like there had been a lack of sleep in their room the previous night, but I knew I probably looked much the same. We carefully avoided discussions of Dean and what had happened. I wasn't ready to talk about it yet, and they were both still angry on my behalf – which I found simply astonishing and more than a little adorable.

With the two of them by my side, the rest of the day didn't seem so daunting. I breathed easier, and the stitch of pain that had been in my chest since last night seemed to slowly dissipate.

I knew that I had things to take care of. But feeling better, and spending time with people who really loved me, seemed to take priority. I wasn't going to question that need to be around my friends; I was just going to give in to it.

We made it to the arena that night, Seth and Ro still talking to me animatedly. I knew they were trying to distract me, and I loved them fiercely for it.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for that first glimpse of Dean.

He was definitely the worse for wear. He'd split his lip and had a black eye. His nose had been obviously broken. I looked over at Seth and Ro, who both found reasons to look elsewhere. "Guys," I sighed softly.

Dean saw that I was there and stopped short, obviously wanting to approach but wary of my company. "He deserved it," Ro growled, putting his arm around my shoulders and steering me away.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days were much of the same. Dean didn't get anywhere near me, thanks to my constant companions. The phone wouldn't stop ringing, but I kept ignoring it.

Truthfully, I ached to speak with him. I couldn't just turn off the fondness I had for him in my heart, but I knew that I had to act as if I had. It was the only way I was going to get through this with some of my sanity intact.

I went and saw one of the WWE docs, who ran a battery of STD tests for me. Shortly after, I had a clean bill of health. Thank God. I don't know if I'd have been able to stand it if he left me with that kind of parting gift.

That was a huge weight taken off my shoulders, and Seth, Ro, their respective ladies, and I agreed to go out drinking to celebrate. I dressed up, for a change, and had Leigh help me with my make-up and hair.

We had a great time, as we always managed to do. It easily could have turned into me feeling like the fifth wheel, but it didn't. I'd been happy to note that I got along relatively well with Kaitlyn. She and I were similar in a lot of ways, and the fact that she treated Ro like gold only served to elevate her in my eyes.

I felt as comfortable as ever, save the fact that I could feel eyes boring into me with every move I made.

Dean circled our table at a distance, his eyes hooded and heavy. I did my best to ignore him, but I found it increasingly difficult.

"Creepy son-of-a-bitch," Kaitlyn muttered to me as she came back from the ladies' room. "What did you see in him?"

I laughed. "Hard to remember now," I admitted. "He does have his good qualities when he's not acting like a stalker."

I felt a finger lightly trace down my spine and turned ready to punch. Wade Barrett caught my hand easily, a smile on his face. "Sorry love; I didn't mean to startle you."

I managed to smile back. "Be more careful next time. You know I shoot first and ask questions later."

"One of your more…endearing qualities," he replied, taking the vacant seat next to me. I turned to Kaitlyn to apologize, but she had started talking to Ro. She gave me a quick wink and a nod in Wade's direction.

"How have you been?" I asked, carefully taking a sip of my drink.

"Well, thank you. How about yourself? I wasn't at all sorry to hear about you and Dean."

I managed to laugh at that. "Thank you, I think. I've been fine. Just working on getting my life back on track."

"Always a tall order," he sympathized. "Although you seem to be doing well. You look positively radiant this evening."

I tried to suppress the grin from my face. "Mr. Barrett, are you hitting on me?"

He grinned back at me. "I might be," he replied casually. "How receptive would you be to such an action?"

"It would depend what your ultimate motives were," I replied honestly.

He nodded thoughtfully. "It's too soon for you, I'd imagine. However, I was hoping that a potential relationship wouldn't be out of the question. Now that Mr. Ambrose is out of the picture, and I doubt you're concerned with his reaction..." He glanced up at me questioningly, his hand lightly stroking down my arm. I nodded my confirmation. "I was hoping we might try to pick up where we left off all those years ago."

I smiled. "It seems like a different life, doesn't it?"

He shook his head. "Not for me. I still remember quite well the way your lips feel against mine." He paused, his hand trailing over my thigh. "And I yearn to feel them again."

My heart started pounding in my chest. Oh my. I'd forgotten how terribly sexy his voice could be when he was trying to be seductive. He seemed to realize the exact effect he was having on me, judging by his sly grin.

"You are terrible," I teased, a smile on my lips. "Go buy me another drink."


	6. Chapter 6

He had me pressed against the wall outside my room, his lips wandering over my neck. I gripped his shoulders tightly, fighting against the urge to give in and let him in my room for the night.

"Wade," I murmured, hearing the dreamy quality to my voice. Well that wouldn't help. "We should stop," I said, my voice a bit more authoritative.

He paused and slid away from me, placing one last kiss square on my lips. "It's so easy to get carried away with you," he replied, slightly out of breath.

I smiled and reached up to lightly stroke his cheek. He turned his head and kissed the palm of my hand, his eyes burning into mine.

"I want you," he said simply, bending to kiss me again.

I was immediately swept up in his passionate embrace, feeling waves of desire rush over my body. I wanted him, too. I wanted him quite badly, in fact. It didn't help matters that I could feel just how badly he wanted me as well.

Finally, I wrenched myself away, breathing heavily. He grinned at me, his eyes hazy. "You're going to make it so I have trouble sleeping tonight, aren't you?" He asked, although with a teasing note to his voice. "Just like old times."

I laughed, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck and stroke my hands through his hair. "I am," I confirmed. "I'm just not ready to jump into bed with you yet. I want to connect in other ways first."

He nodded. "I can't argue with you, my love, but I certainly wish I'd at least try. Still. I'll accept your wishes for now. Just promise me," he added, his fingers lightly running over my collarbone, "that you won't make me wait too long."

"I won't," I promised immediately.

He smiled and bent to give me one more kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I smiled back, kissing him lightly one more time. "Yes," I agreed, kissing him again. And again. And…oh dear; I'd better stop.

"Goodnight," I finally said, pulling away quickly. He smiled, knowing exactly what he'd done to me, and responded in kind. He waited until I was in the room, the door shut safely behind me, to walk away.

I sighed heavily, in a desperate state, before I began getting ready for bed. I'd just slipped under the covers when my phone went off beside me.

Dean was texting me. Of course. But this message caught my attention and I actually read it for a change.

'Go ahead, fuck him. He won't be able to satisfy you like I can.'

I shook my head. I just didn't get it. He was the one who had left me; he was the one who was supposedly getting married and having a kid with another woman. I didn't understand why he wouldn't leave me alone.

I rolled over and tried to sleep. I was happy when I began drifting off almost immediately, my body curled around a pillow like I imagined it would be curled around Wade some night in the relatively near future.  
There was a gentle knock at my door, and I held my breath for a moment. Finally, unable to bear not knowing, I went and peered through the peephole.

Dean was standing there waiting. His face had started to heal in the few days since his beating; the swelling had gone down and his bruises had faded to a nasty greenish color.

I stood watching him for a few moments, completely torn. I wanted to see him. I wanted to speak to him. But I needed to move on.

Almost as if he'd heard those thoughts, he sighed quietly and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Wade took me out for an impromptu date the following evening. I was nervous, but also excited. It went well enough, and we were both a bit more cautious about our goodnight kisses – parting in the lobby of the hotel so there was less temptation.

I went to pull out the key cards to my room, a smile on my face. I only found one of the two cards I'd been given, but I shrugged it off. I probably left the other one on the desk in the room. I had a bad habit of doing that.

It became apparent the minute I walked in that I was wrong in that regard.

Propped on my bed, feet crossed at the ankles and the television on, was Dean Ambrose.

"Get out," I said immediately, beginning to backtrack towards the door.

He stood quickly and held his hands up in a gesture of harmlessness. Yeah right. "I just want to talk to you, Liz. It's been a week. I just want to clear the air so we can both go about our lives. I want this awkwardness at work to stop."

"So you steal my room key and ambush me?" I asked, incredulous. Still, I hesitated on my way back to the door.

"I've tried every other way. This was the last thing I could think of." He paused. "Please. Just talk to me."

Very slowly, I made my way towards the desk and pulled the chair out to sit. "What do you have to say?"

He slowly sat on the bed facing me. "I want to tell you I'm sorry," he finally said, swallowing hard. "I want to tell you that I wasn't expecting this, and that I wanted to be with you more than I've ever wanted anything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I found out. I didn't…." He shook his head, his hand scratching agitatedly at the back of his head. "I didn't know how to handle it. I was so pissed off and I was…am…terrified. I'm not meant to be a father. I don't know how to do it."

I could feel the sincerity of his words, but I didn't want to give him an opening. I was tired of this situation; I was tired of the drama that constantly circled my life. "I understand," I replied as calmly as possible. "Thanks for apologizing."

He tilted his head. "That's it?"

I shook my head. Of course he would demand more of me. "Dean," I started, still shaking my head, "I don't have anything else to give you. What's done is done. You are going to be a husband and a father, and I shouldn't have any part in that. I have no choice but to move on with my own life. I wish you the best, but I have nothing left for you."

His shoulders slumped, and I could feel my eyes start to well up. I looked away. This was harder than I thought.

"Don't lie to me, Lizzy. You do still love me." He sounded unsure.

I could lie. I should lie. But it wouldn't solve anything. "I don't know," I admitted. "I am so angry with you, and I am so hurt. It's hard to feel anything else."

"I'll leave her," he said, and my head shot up. I could see the desperation in his eyes. "I'll leave her tonight. I don't care about that bitch, not one bit."

"But you care about that kid," I reminded him.

"You said it yourself – I don't need to be with her to be a part of his life."

I managed a small smile. "It's a he?"

He glanced away, shrugging uncomfortably. "We don't know yet…it's just a feeling I have."

I sighed heavily. "Dean, I can't make that decision for you. You obviously cared enough about doing the right thing that you asked her to marry you. Take me out of the equation. I never should have been there in the first place."

"You were right where you belonged," his said, his voice gaining a hard edge. "You belong with me, Lizzy. You always have, and you always will."

This was starting to take a turn towards unproductive territory. "If I really did, this wouldn't have happened," I replied, standing up. "We've cleared the air. I think you should leave."

He stood up as well and walked towards me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I glared up at him, and he just smiled. "I'm not going anywhere," he said slowly and clearly, bending down and kissing me.

I wanted to push him away. In fact, I knew I should. But the moment his lips hit mine, everything felt all right again. I could forget the drama; I could forget the three-ring circus. All that mattered was that he was here with me.

I closed my eyes and hung my head as he moved away. "Do you feel that way when he kisses you?" Dean asked, taking my chin and bringing my face up so I was forced to look him in the eyes. "Does it feel the way it feels with me?"

I didn't trust my voice. I simply shook my head.

"I'll leave her tonight, Lizzy. Just tell me that you still love me. We can figure the rest out as we go."

I closed my eyes. I had never in my life wanted so badly to say yes. But I knew that I couldn't. This constant motion backwards needed to stop. I had a great chance to make something with Wade, who was stable and sweet. I had to stop the madness.

"I can't," I said simply.

His face grew hard, and I realized that I'd made a terrible mistake.


	8. Chapter 8

I spit blood across the pillow, watching the red sink into the crisp white linen. Extra cleaning charge for sure during this stay.

My mind went to strange places when I was trying to will myself to unconsciousness.

Dean wasn't being methodical this time; he was simply being brutal. That's how I could tell that his emotions had gotten the better of him. Every other time, there had been a precision to his anger. This time, his fists flew with no discrimination.

Hot tears fell from his face onto my chest, where he'd ripped my shirt apart in his frenzy.

I'd tried to fight back at first, but that just seemed to make him angrier. After a particularly brutal strike landed on my temple, I stopped fighting. It was just easier.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, a small hitch in his voice. "I am so sorry."

His hands finally fell away from me, and he collapsed on top of me, sobbing quietly in my ear. "I'm sorry," he repeated endlessly, gripping fistfuls of my hair.

"I love you so much I can't stand it sometimes," he sniffled. I glanced at him through my puffy eyes. His face was a tear-streaked mess. "I lose my mind. I'm sorry."

It seemed wiser not to say anything.

He kissed me over and over, cradling my bleeding, swollen face in his hands. "Do you see what you do to me?" He whispered, his voice desperate. "Do you see what not having you drives me to do? We can't keep going on like this."

He had my full agreement there. I just wasn't sure I was capable of speech to actually state my opinion.

"I love you," he murmured, kissing my bloody lips. "I love you." He repeated it like it was a mantra that would make everything magically better while his hand slid down to unzip my pants.

"Dean," I managed to croak, "please. Don't."

"I love you," he repeated firmly, pulling my pants off.

"Please," I said insistently, shaking my head no. I felt a lump forming in my throat. He couldn't actually be doing this.

My pleas fell on deaf ears. He yanked my thighs apart and began lightly stroking me, kissing my neck. I closed my eyes and tried to be somewhere else entirely. There was simply no fight left in me; no will or desire to even try any more. He'd taken my last bits of resistance with this beating, and now he was going to take my last bit of dignity with this rape.

I let him do what he wanted. He tried to be soft and sweet – he tried to make love to me, like we had in that hotel room in a different life. He tried and failed, because I finally knew there was no love in him for me. There was only a sickness, a disease that festered and made him believe that what he felt was love rather than obsession.

The truth had never hurt me more than it did in this moment.

He finished and pulled away from me, bending down to kiss me once more before collapsing beside me on the bed. He was asleep within minutes.

When I finally felt able to move, I stood up carefully and pulled my pants back on. I didn't bother with fixing my tattered shirt. Taking the key to my room, I stepped into the hallway.

I needed to go to somebody who could help me take care of this for good. Seth and Ro had protected me for this long, but it was time to finally kick it up the chain.

I stopped at Paul's door and knocked briskly. When he opened it, an exclamation dying on his lips, I simply crumpled to the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

The nurse was swabbing away blood from my face when I finally woke up.

Paul, Seth, and Ro were all there with haunted looks on their faces.

"Cheer up," I said, my voice sounding rough. "I'm not dead. It's good news."

Seth managed a small smile, and Paul came around to my side of the bed. "He's been arrested. We've suspended him indefinitely," he told me, "and the Board is meeting in the morning to review his employment status going forward. I am so sorry."

I shook my head, wincing a bit. "Nobody could have seen this coming. I didn't."

"The police are outside," Paul added. "Do you want to press charges?"

I considered it for a moment. "Do I?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't blame you."

"Do I have to decide right now? I feel a bit…addled."

"Understandably. I don't think you do, but they'll want to take evidence off of your body in any case." I could tell this topic made him slightly squeamish.

I nodded. "All right. Why don't you guys go grab some coffee. Send the officer in on your way out."

I told my story to the policeman, who tried very hard not to look at the mess that was my face and looked me directly in the eyes instead. I appreciated that. They sent in a nurse to take some evidence from the sexual assault, which was an uncomfortable and awkward experience.

Finally, they let me get some rest. Seth and Ro insisted on staying, so they put me in a private room with enough space for one cot. I watched with detached amusement as they played rock-paper-scissors. Roman won, so Seth spent the night sprawled across two chairs.

I felt better in the morning. My face was a mess of bruises, so I certainly didn't look pretty. But I felt better.

The officer from the night before came in to check on me, and he explained that my exam from the previous night hadn't turned up any evidence that they could use in court. If I did pursue this case, there would be minimal evidence – he said, she said. I told him that I'd elected not to press charges anyway.

Both Seth and Roman were incredibly angry with me for that. I just wanted it to be over. I didn't want to relive this in a courtroom. Besides, I was sure that he would get fired for this.

So when Paul came in and told me that he'd only received a six-month suspension, it was like a punch in the gut. No hard evidence, the Board had ruled. Only circumstantial evidence, and the best they could do on that was the six months. He said, she said. It was the second time today I'd heard that phrase, and it certainly did nothing to improve my temperament.

How he could have gotten away with this baffled and angered me. I tried to replay the night in my head and figure out where it went wrong, and it simply exhausted me. I decided to stop trying to sort it out. There was no way I'd ever figure out what was going on in that maniac's head.

Paul sent me home after my discharge from the hospital. I was given six weeks of paid leave, which I desperately needed.

I did a lot of soul-searching. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back and put myself into this same situation. But I didn't know what else to do. I loved my job, and I loved the family I'd built around myself as a direct result of my employment.

Seth and Roman took a few weeks to spend with me. Leigh and Kaitlyn were regular visitors during that time. Wade also visited me several times during my time away, taking care to avoid being overly physical with me. He was simply there as a friend, which I appreciated. It would have been easy for him to run, but he stuck around.

Finally, with the cajoling of my friends, I returned to work. My face had healed up well, and I looked and acted like myself. I slowly returned to my routine, and I gradually began to feel better. I smiled and it didn't feel fake.

I stayed late at the arena three weeks after my return and was one of the last to leave. As I was walking out, Sheamus caught up with me.

"Liz," he said, lightly grabbing my arm. I spun quickly, my heart pounding. He noted my uncomfortable stance. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're back, and I'm sorry for everything you had to go through."

I managed a smile. "Thanks, Sheamus. At least it's all over now."

I turned and tried to walk away, but he held my arm tightly. "No, Liz," he said gently, and I turned to look at him. "It's not."

I felt my blood run cold in my veins. "What?"

He reached out and lightly stroked my hair back behind my ear. "Just think, this all could have been different if you'd just given me a real chance."

I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell was going on, but he quickly clamped his hand over it before wrapping his arm around my neck and squeezing. "Don't fight it, sweetheart," he said, his voice surprisingly tender. "Just let go. When you wake up, everything will be all right."


	10. Sequel

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, Tweeting, favoriting, messaging, and most of all - being patient with me for two weeks while I was away! Next bit is up under the title "It's Woven in my Soul, I Need to Let You Go." I hope you enjoy!


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